Please help me stop my kid playing with soaps

[jameskyler]

My three years old son loves to bathe but he plays with and misuses soaps and shampoo. It’s big problem for me because he would neither listen nor understand. What can I do so that I may be able to stop my son learn correct behavior?

[Missy]

i guess it depends on what he's doing with it. If he's being wasteful, i'd suggest getting hotel sized soap containers (most stores sell refillable containers in the travel section, or in dollar stores) and ration out how much he gets. If he's making a mess with bar soap, get smaller too by cutting the bars into smaller chunks, or putting the bars into soap mitts. Take a wash cloth, fold in half, put a soap bar in it and sew along the edges to encase it. then the soap is always ready. Attach a loop for hanging and it'll dry out nicely after bath time.

[Missy]

if it's another problem than wastefullness, could you be more specific? Im not quite clear what the problem is exactly.

[karone]

dont have any suggestions. with merrick he loves playing in the water. im always having to chase him out b/c he likes to put his hands under the running water in the sink or doesnt want to get out of the tub after his or our bath.

[Darlene]

I'd just move them out of his way & give him some bath toys to play with instead. Bet he'd love a couple of empty bottles to dump water in and out of. Hold them underwater and laugh at the gulping sounds they make as they fill up, then pour the water out, what fun!

[lwlynch]

my suggestions, take it away, you do the soap part. get him a few toys, and tell him to behave.. those are for cleaning, next he will be in your toothpaste..sorry, i hope not....

[ilovechocolate]

I agree with Darlene---get him some empty bottles to play with. He's so little that it's easy to redirect him to something more appropriate.

Both my children loved floating little dollar store toys in the tub.

[baxjul]

I used to give my dd just a small sample sized bottle filled 1/2 way, with her soap in it. When it was gone, she was done.

[many houseapes]

I don't know if your son understands about the concept of money yet ,if he does, you might be able to try this -
when my then 3 yr old son was just getting into the thrill of being able to save a few dollars to buy what he wanted, we also had to teach him a lesson about being wasteful. Benjamin had emptied an entire bottle of shampoo during bathtime....so to teach him that it is a bad thing to be wasteful, we sat down with him,discussed the matter & made him shell out the money to replace the bottle of shampoo. Dh took him to the store & made him pay for it out of his piggy bank.Benjamin realized that he could have bought something for himself instead of a bottle of shampoo- he never pulled that stunt ever again.

[pkellyc]

I agree with lylynch. Take it out of the tub after you wash him up. He is only 3 years old.

[Neeley]

I have to agree with taking it away but I would also have to tell him it was a "No-No" to play with and waste the soap and shampoo.